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Voting: Right, Obligation Or Honor?

Voting in India is a Constitutional right if one is a citizen over 18 years of age. However, that also makes it optional. And this has been utilised by people every single time we have elections. In our country, where laws are rarely adhered to and “jugaad” is the magic word always, it takes people more than the incentive of a “constitutional right” to go out and cast their special, valued votes. Let me now try and illustrate that while skipping the vote may not seem to cause any harm, the long term consequences are disastrous.

Here’s why every citizen of India must cast his or her vote:

It is your right, make it count. Wars have been fought and revolutions have been raised to earn the right to vote. Do not belittle the efforts of our forefathers by taking the act of voting in such a light manner. Voting is an honour conferred on the citizens by the founding fathers. By exercising their right to vote, citizens demonstrate their respect for the history of the country.

Be the change you want to see. You are fed up of rising prices, dirty pathways, cracked and bad roads, corrupt officials, or anything and everything that is going on in this country. What do you do then? Stop whining- that’s what. Stop cribbing and go vote for the change you want to see.

The country does not run itself- do your part. Voting is as much a responsibility as it is a right. The whole edifice of Indian democracy is built on the foundation of voting. If citizens are not careful about casting their vote—or worse, skip their vote altogether—it will jeopardize the existence of our democratic Republic.

Your vote matters. We have people who say that it does not matter if we don’t vote, a lot of population is there in our country, are doing nothing but helping corruption spread and country deteriorate. We have had constituencies which have been won by a margin of a few votes. Do not shirk your responsibility towards your nation by not voting. As in the end, it is you who suffers.

Raise your voice, make it heard. Voting offers every citizen a medium of expression. In a country as vast and diverse as ours, different regions have different concerns and priorities. The process of voting allows every citizen to have a say in what should constitute the matters of importance by voting for the candidate he or she deems fit for the purpose. While it is true that the outcome of elections is seldom predictable, by not casting one’s vote, that citizen is giving up on the chance of getting heard.

My fellow citizens, election after election has seen ineffective governments come to power that have done more harm than good. We have seen our country progressively deteriorate towards the pit of corruption from where it will take a long time to climb back up. However, not casting one’s vote will only worsen the condition. It is our duty as responsible citizens of India to make informed decisions and choose the best candidate from those presented and help our country progress. In the end, it is your choice, whether you take voting as a right, and obligation or as an honor, what matters is that you vote. Wake up and vote!

About the Author

Sonakshi Faujdar

Sonakshi is a first year law student at Symbiosis Law School, Pune. She completed her schooling from CJM Convent St. Anthony’s Junior College, Agra, where she was the Head Girl of the student council. Her interests include reading, writing and debating and she enjoys good music, appreciates humour, thrives on sarcasm and generally annoys the hell out of her friends (that last bit is unintentional, well most times anyway). Currently, she is experiencing and surviving through the first year of law school and is extremely excited about the opportunity to share her views on the platform provided by the Alexis Foundation.